Licensable activities
The Licensing Act 2003 covers:
- Sale or Supply of alcohol
- Regulated Entertainment (plays, films, indoor sports, boxing, wrestling, live/recorded music, dance)
- Late Night Refreshment (hot food/drink between 11pm and 5am)
Authorisation
These activities must be authorised by one of the following:
An additional licence is required for Premises selling alcohol:
Exemptions
There are certain exemptions and exceptions relating to entertainment. These are included at Appendix H of the Council’s Licensing Policy
Application assistance
The Council offers a Licensing Direct service to help with applications for a fixed fee, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
There is also a comprehensive range of other business regulatory support services available. These will help and provide advice to businesses to be more successful and compliant.
Licensing policy and cumulative impact
The Council reviews its Licensing Policy every 5 years. This includes the Cumulative Impact statements for Newquay, Truro, Penzance, and Falmouth. These statements consider data such as police reports and public health information.
Cumulative impact is where there is a concentration of licensed premises in an area, which has a detrimental impact on the Licensing Objectives. Applicants need to demonstrate how the premises will not contribute to these negative effects when applying for:
- a new licence
- a variation to an existing licence in a cumulative impact area
Licensing objectives
The four key objectives are:
- Prevention of crime and disorder
- Public safety
- Prevention of public nuisance
- Protection of children from harm
Pending premises applications
List of current premises licence applicationsRegister of licensed premises
You can view the latest register of licensed premises under the Licensing Act 2003 at this link:
Register of licensed premises under the Licensing Act 2003.This register includes all premises that:
- sell or supply alcohol
- provide regulated entertainment
- or provide late night refreshment
Compliance and inspection
The Council inspects licensed premises based on risk. This is to ensure compliance with licence conditions and safety standards.
Please report any concerns using our contact us form.
Reviews
Any responsible authority or person can apply for a review of a premises licence if it undermines any of the licensing objectives. For more information see the review applications web page.
Other relevant guidance and information
- Licensing Act 2003 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Alcohol licensing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Entertainment Licensing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Other regulatory requirements
Other entertainment, which may require a licence:
Other licences, which may be required:
Pavement licence
If you intend to provide food and/or drink for consumption outside your premises on the highway, you will need to obtain a pavement licence:
Food registration and approval
If your business involves:
- storing
- preparing
- distributing
- or selling food (including drinks)
you must register your business.
Some types of food businesses, such as those handling:
- meat
- dairy, or
- fish products
may require approval instead of registration.
Please see business regulatory support services for further information.
Playing music
If your business involves playing music, you may need additional licences from other agencies:
- PRS for Music: royalties, music copyright and licensing
- PPL - UK and international recorded music royalty collection (ppluk.com)
Site of Special Scientific Interest
If you intend to provide licensable activities on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), you must obtain consent from Natural England. This is to ensure that the activities do not harm the special features of the site:
Data Protection / UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Please refer to our privacy notice under UK GDPR.